Gone
by ringanybells
Summary: The Sons watched the boat disappear, now Clay has to tell Gemma what happened. What happens after the unthinkable events of Na Triobloidi.
1. Chapter 1

[A/N: I know it's unlikely that Jax would allow things to go down like this, but I'm pretty sure Clay wouldn't let him be out chasing down leads in his condition either. When Season 3 starts up, I'm hoping for an epic chase scene led by Clay to get the baby back. Also, the last five minutes of this ep- the phone call between Clay and Jax, Clay holding Jax on the pier- were ridiculous. I love the two of them, and too much of this season has had them at each other's throats. I wrote this to provide a little more Jax/Clay love.]

"Put her on the phone." Unser should have known better than to answer the phone, but years of working with the Sons had made it impossible to ignore a call direct from the President. Clay did not sound happy.

"Look, Clay, maybe you should…"

But Unser didn't get to finish his sentence. "Wayne, put her on the goddamn phone right now." There was no room for arguing with that tone. The former chief of police turned to the woman sitting in the car next to him.

"He wants to talk to you, Darlin'." Gemma rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the phone. She'd told Wayne not to answer it; she'd known Clay was going to be pissed. But he had ignored her.

"Of course he does," she took the phone and took a deep breath before putting it to her ear. "Hey, baby, how's it going?" She put her sweetest tone on, hoping that she could use her wiles to calm him down, before he started really yelling.

"Cut the shit, Gem. What the hell were you thinking? Where the hell are you?" Clay hated having to raise his voice to his wife. Since he'd learned the truth about her attack, he'd been sure to tread very lightly with Gemma. But he didn't have time to tiptoe around Gemma's feelings today. Not when he'd watched an Irishman take off with his grandson. Not when he'd had to hold his son as he fell apart. Not when he'd watched the doc inject him with sedatives to calm him down, stop him from doing something stupid.

Gemma did not like to be spoken to like that as a rule. Clay's lack of compassion fueled her response. "Jesus, Clay, calm down. I did what I had to do, what you and the Club were out doing." When she'd decided to walk into that house, she was sure she was doing what needed to be done. But there was something about Clay's voice that told her she was missing something.

"You have no idea what you did. Where are you?" Clay's mind was all over the place. He'd had no choice but to walk away from Zobelle. When he'd heard Jax say he needed him, there had been no other option. He never thought that something could happen to the kid. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone played by the rules. SAMCRO made it a point to keep innocents out of the crossfire whenever possible. They _never_ targeted kids. For Irish to _take_ that baby, leave behind a dead Son and a frightened Old Lady, that was crossing all kinds of lines. Things between he and his own son had been so strained since his mistake, since Donna's death, he didn't think there'd be any way to mend that bridge. But Gemma's attack had reconnected them, giving them a reason to work together. Opie finding out the truth and forgiving him had helped. Standing on the edge of the dock earlier, he'd felt like a father to Jax for the first time in a long while, and he would have given anything to change that. If he had to live with Jax's hate, he would gladly do it, if it meant Abel was safe at home in his crib.

"I had to go, Clay. That ATF bitch framed me for Eddie Hayes murder, and she saw me pull the trigger on Zobelle's daughter. Running was my only option." She explained what had happened quickly, still trying to take the edge off Clay's anger.

"Shit." Clay slammed his hand against the bar. The Clubhouse was relatively empty. After they'd left the pier, with a little help from a uniform that Hale had sent over to bring Jax home, him having been in no condition to ride, they'd all come back to the Clubhouse. Hale had met them there with the doc. One look at Jax, the doc had reached for her bag, Hale had warned her it might be necessary. Now, most of the club was out chasing leads and making calls, Chibs and Tig calling Irish connections the Club had, Bobby and Juice trying to find a lead on where Cameron had run to, Opie hadn't left Jax's side. And neither had Clay, until Piney had finally managed to get Unser on the phone. "You didn't kill little Irish?"

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Of course not, why would I kill him? He's a friend of the Club." Gemma was slightly taken back that Clay would think her capable of that kind of Club sabotage.

"Not no more he isn't" Clay practically growled the sentence out. He took a few steps further away from where Tara was holding a distraught Jax on the sofa, being watched over by Opie and Hale. He grabbed the nearest bottle and poured himself a shot. He downed it quick. The burn of alcohol calmed his nerves and quelled the shaking in his hands. Now that he knew this wasn't all Gemma's fault, some of the anger left him, but he was left with a hollow feeling. This was the kind of feeling that came when you had to tell the woman you loved that she'd gotten her only grandson kidnapped, and possibly broken beyond repair the son who meant more to her than anything else.

Gemma must have read something in his voice. The next words she spoke were full of concern, "Clay, what's going on, what happened?" Her heart beat faster. She could always tell when she was about to get bad news regarding the Club.

More than anything, he didn't want to tell her this over the phone. "I can't tell you like this, Gem Doll, I need you to come home."

"Clay, I come home, I bring all kinds of shit to the Club's door. You and the guys don't need this, especially with the hits on Zobelle and Weston fresh on your hands."

Clay let out a sigh, here was one more thing he didn't want to have to tell his wife. "Zobelle's not dead"

"What do you mean? You said you were going to take care of this, Clay." She had pulled the trigger because she had been sure Clay would make sure the others responsible would pay. How was she supposed to go back knowing he had failed to take out the man who had ordered her raped?

"Something came up, Gem." He understood her anger. He was pissed at having let Zobelle walk too. But getting to Jax, trying to get to Abel, that had been more important.

"Something came up? What kind of bullshit is that, Clay? Put Jax on, I want to know what the hell came up that was more important than taking Zobelle out."

Jax's name pulled Clay back to the present moment. The moment in which his son couldn't come to the phone because he'd had to be sedated, the moment in which Jax had been so distraught it had taken all six of his brothers, Clay included, to keep him from jumping into the harbor after his son. "Jax can't come to the phone right now, Gemma."

And there it was again. That slight hitch in his voice that told Gemma something was wrong. "Clay, you put my boy on the phone right now, or so help me…" She trailed off. Gemma didn't know what she'd do if something had happened to her son. She'd already buried one child, she didn't want to think what would happen if she was told she had to do it again.

Clay didn't think it was possible for his heart to break anymore. Holding Jax on the edge of that pier had just about ripped it out of his chest. Seeing his stepson forced into the back of a police car by four of his brothers had been like a sharp knife being twisted in his chest. Telling Gemma that her son was fine but that her grandson wasn't would be the equivalent of having the knife pulled out and plunged in again. "Jax can't talk Gemma, but he's alive.

_Alive_, not fine, not okay, _alive_, Gemma didn't like the sound of that. "What happened?"

The pain in her voice did it. Clay could only deny her so long. "Stahl sent the message out that you killed little Irish. Cameron heard it, he retaliated. Sacks' dead, Cameron knifed him in Jax's kitchen."

"Shit," Cameron being in Jax's kitchen meant that the only other person that could have been hurt was Tara, Gemma kicked herself for leaving them alone. "How's Tara? Is she alright?"

Clay hated having to dance around the issue, but Gemma was asking all the wrong questions. It seems she was just as dependant on the rules as he was. "Doc's fine, Babe, a little shaken up but nothing a few drinks won't fix." He took a deep breath, there was no point in dragging this out any further. "Irish said an eye for an eye, a son for a son."

It took Gemma five long seconds to understand that. If Irish had gone after a son, but Jax was fine, then "Oh my God, the baby. Is Abel alright, did the doc get to him on time?"

Clay took another shot. "Cameron took Abel. We chased them to the pier, we just missed him. Jax is…Jax is in bad shape. He needs you. The Club needs you."

Every part of Gemma wanted to go home to her son, to her men, but it would do no good. "Babe, the minute I step foot inside Charming, ATF will have me arrested. Even if I try to come back, it won't do my boy any good." Gemma hated her rash decision, if she had just let the Club handle things, none of this would be happening.

"Gem, I don't want you in jail anymore than you wanna go, but our son needs you," Clay couldn't help the weakness in his voice. He didn't know how to help Jax, short of bringing Abel home. Gemma had always been the one to hold the family together.

Hearing Clay call Jax son, after all that had happened in the last year, almost had her convinced. But ATF had her cold on 1 murder and enough circumstantial evidence to get her on a second. She'd be in jail ten minutes inside of Charming. She would be more help and comfort to Jax out here than in jail. "Baby, Stahl will never let me get close enough."

Clay's head fell. He didn't hear or see Hale until he was right next to him. He reached out and took the phone from Clay, "Gemma?"

"Hale? What are you doing at the Clubhouse?" Gemma was confused. The only officer that she could remember ever being allowed in the house was Unser.

"I brought Tara, she was in no condition to drive and Jax needed to be sedated"

"Sedated?" Her voice was strained, she wanted nothing more than to hold her son as she had when Abel was first born.

"Yea," Hale made his decision on the spot, thinking with more than his badge, "You shot Polly Zobelle?"

Gemma didn't bother lying, her son was in turmoil, her grandson was missing, she didn't have the strength. "She's the one who left me with Weston."

Hale had figured as much, "but you didn't shoot Edmund Hayes?"

"That kid never did anything to me. He was already dead before either me or Zobelle entered that house."

Hale nodded. He'd been so determined to get SAMCRO out of Charming, that he had invited the worst kinds of filth into his town. When Stahl had arrived, she had seemed like the answer to all his prayers. But she had played the game worse than the outlaws, lying and scheming to get what she wanted. Donna's death was as much at her feet as at Clay's. And more than likely, Eddie Hayes' death and Abel's kidnapping were products of her machinations as well. Hale had also allowed Zobelle to get a grip inside Charming, believing he could rid the town of the Sons. But he had brought more trouble than the Sons ever had. And he'd had Gemma Teller, a woman Hale'd known and respected for years, raped and beaten. Hale was beginning to see why his predecessor had chosen to support SAMCRO, at least they kept their evil outside the town's borders, for the most part, and they made it a point to keep innocents out of the crosshairs.

He and Jax went back; before Hale had joined the force, they'd even been friends. This year, working with Jax to prevent more bloodshed, had reminded him of that. If Zobelle hadn't gone after Gemma, they might have even succeeded. Jax had developed a much calmer head in the wake of Tara's return and his son's birth. Jax could allow a lot of things to slip by, he was able to assess the bigger picture. But one area he'd never stop protecting and defending was his family. Zobelle's attack on Gemma had been a direct attack on a noncombatant of the Club, its Queen. Hale wasn't even related to Gemma and he had wanted to rip those responsible to pieces. When he'd heard about Jax's son being born early, endanger of not making it past the first few weeks, his heart had gone out to the man. He couldn't begin to imagine what must be running through Jax's head right now. But he knew that once the meds wore off, Jax would be inconsolable, he would insist on riding out to find the baby, and he would show neither mercy nor restraint. If Gemma could help him, calm him long enough to talk sense into him, then Hale was more than willing to give her a chance, "24 hours."

"Pardon me?"

"I can give you 24 hours inside Charming. I can keep Stahl away from the garage and the Clubhouse on the grounds that the Club is dealing with Abel's disappearance. When she hears why it happened, she won't rush anything- that'll bring too much heat down on the investigation into Hayes' death. I can give you one day here, with Jax, before she can get in here with a warrant looking for you. I know it's not much, but I think Jax needs you."

"Why are you doing this?" Gemma was torn. She was so tempted to just take the offer at face value, she wanted nothing more than to be with her boys right now. But the self preservation side of her brain was wary. Hale had always been quite clear about which side of the line he stood on.

His answer was quiet, but both Gemma and Clay heard it, "because someone kidnapped Jax's son over something he didn't do. Because I invited Stahl into Charming and she's the cause of all this" Because there's a good chance Jax will never see his little boy again and I want you to have the chance to see him before he does anything drastic. This last reason he kept to himself.

Gemma heard the guilt in the officer's voice. He felt almost as guilty as she did, "Thank you, David. Can you put Clay back on?"

Hale handed the phone to the older man sitting next to him. For the first time in a long time, Clay felt the need to thank someone not in the Club; Hale was giving him the chance to have his family together in this time of need. "Thank you, deputy." Hale simply nodded and stepped away. Clay watched as he leaned in to say goodbye to the doc, even though she was as out of it as Jax. He moved the phone back to his ear, "Baby?"

"I'm coming. Clay, you listen to me. Keep my boy together until I get there. And I don't care what you have to do, you get every Son from Washington to Nevada out looking for our grandson. I promised Jax he was going to have a chance to be a father, I refuse to tell him that was a lie."

She hung up the phone before he could tell her that the Sons were already mobilizing, before he could tell her to be safe. He placed the phone back on the bar and walked toward his own son. Tara, seeing his approach, placed a hand on Opie's arm, pulling him away. Clay nodded his thanks and slowly slipped down next to Jax. The drugs hadn't knocked him out, just calmed him. Unfortunately, he was still one hundred percent aware of what was going on, "Mom?"

Clay put his arm around his son, pulling him into a hug, much like he had done on the dock. "She's coming, son, she's coming. And once she gets here, I'm going to go find your boy."


	2. Chapter 2

Hale walked into the Charming Police Station. He'd called in the order to keep Stahl away from both the Teller-Morrow Garage and the Sons' Clubhouse. After leaving there himself, he had driven by Jax's house, to make sure the coroner had moved Epps' body and then he had gone to the pier to request a copy of the surveillance tape. He'd been avoiding returning to the station, mainly because once he walked through those doors, he'd be at a loss for what to do. While normally, the Sons were not forthcoming with any information, they'd been more than helpful this time. It wasn't like usual, where they withheld information in order to issue personal retaliation or to protect themselves. In this instance, they were willing to accept any aid, even from the police, even if it meant their retribution would be postponed. This time, returning that baby to his family was more important than how it was done, because they were all worried about the infant, and they were all worried about his father.

"Who the hell do you think you are? What the hell do you think you're doing? This is a federal matter, you have no right to keep me from searching Teller-Morrow." Stahl came at him from his own office, her hand on his arm, shaking him. Hale could see a crazed gleam in her eye. Before he could answer her, she spoke again. "We both know that Gemma Teller is in that Clubhouse, she is responsible for two homicides, one of them my informant."

Hearing Stahl accuse Gemma of Edmund Hayes' death brought Hale out of his silence. He shook off her hand and grabbed her arm, pushing her back into his office. Once in, he released her and shut the door, turning to her once again. He'd issued orders to keep ATF out of the loop on what had happened to Abel Teller, afraid they'd sacrifice the baby in an effort to get to the Irish. "Jax Teller's house was broken into this afternoon, his son was taken. Kip Epps was found dead at the scene." Hale couldn't keep the anger from his voice. The sight of Jax weeping into Clay's arms was still fresh in his mind. He'd known Jax for over two decades. He'd never seen the man looking so broken, not when Tara left the first time, not when his father had been killed, not even when his son had spent weeks in the NICU. "Cameron Hayes kidnapped Abel Teller because someone told him Gemma killed his son."

He watched Stahl's face as he revealed to her what had happened. He saw the same flash of guilt he'd seen when she had learned of Donna Winston's murder. It took longer to disappear this time. That was all the confirmation he needed. If Gemma's reassurance that she'd had nothing to do with the younger Hayes' death hadn't convinced him it was Stahl, that look would have. He looked at the ATF agent in disgust, "And we both know that Gemma Teller had nothing to do with Edmund Hayes' murder."

Her eyes snapped to him, the guilt replaced with fear. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that once again, you've put an innocent in the crossfire."

"They're criminals, David."

Hale suppressed the urge to scream at her, "Donna Winston was a wife and mother of two. That baby is eight months old. He can't even walk yet."

"He would have grown up to be a Son, just like his father, just like his grandfather."

"Well now he might not get to grow up at all, thanks to you." Hale took a deep breath, to reign in his temper. "I want you gone, out of my town, by tonight. And if you ever come back here, I promise you will regret it."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm telling you the same thing I've told you from the beginning. SAMCRO protects their own and they don't let people who have hurt the Club live. You got lucky with Opie, because Jax was able to talk some sense into him. But now you've crossed a line. You blamed that murder on Gemma and got her grandson kidnapped. If she doesn't kill you herself, there will be no shortage of Club members who will be willing to do the deed for her. That's if they're able to keep Jax sedated long enough to give them the chance. I suggest you stay as far from that Clubhouse as possible."

The frightened look in her eyes grew, but Hale had no sympathy. Looking at the ATF agent, he had the same feeling as he had had looking at Weston earlier that day. She deserved whatever she had coming to her. Without another word, he turned and walked out of his office, leaving a stunned, silent, and scared Stahl behind him.


End file.
